Dedication day for the new Groves Stadium, September 14th, 1968, was a hot, early fall day. It was called the “new” Groves Stadium because it was a new stadium for Wake Forest University and because the stadium on the old Wake Forest College campus was also named Groves Stadium. The new stadium was named for Henry Herman Groves Sr., and his deceased brothers, Earl E. and L. Craig Groves. Henry Herman Groves Sr. was ill and unable to attend the ceremonies. The family was represented by Earl T. Groves, a family member who was the mayor of Gastonia.
From the time Wake Forest College moved to Winston-Salem, through 1967, their home football games were held at Bowman Gray Stadium.
Some of the dignitaries at the dedication included Governor Dan Moore, Mayor M. C. Benton, James H. Weaver (commissioner of the Atlantic Coast Conference), plus Wake Forest President Dr. James Ralph Scales.
Ground was broken for the new stadium on June 4, 1966. The photo above shows the stadium during the first phase of construction in July 1967. The new stadium’s capacity was 31,261-seats and it cost $3.9 million. In comparison, the old Groves stadium (in Wake Forest, NC), built in 1940, seated 29,000 people and cost $105,000.
The dedication day’s football game featured Wake Forest University versus North Carolina State University, with the victory going to the Wolfpack, 10-6.
Before the game began, as part of the dedication ceremony, former Wake Forest star fullback, Andy Heck (in the suit at right), participated in the flag-raising. Heck was wounded while serving with the Marines in Vietnam, and was recommended for the Bronze Star. He was assisted in the ceremony by three Marine sergeants, Charles P. Byrd, B. J. Mashburn, and James L. Rouse.
Just one week later, Wake Forest University met Clemson at the new stadium and the photo shown above was taken at the football game on September 21, 1968.
The press box at Groves Stadium occupied 7,000 square feet. Construction began for a new Deacon Tower in December 2006 that would occupy 123,000 square feet. The Deacon Tower opened in 2008 and the stadium was renamed BB&T Field.
Black & white photos courtesy of Forsyth County Public Library Photograph Collection. Color images courtesy of Molly Grogan Rawls.
